May 2, 2010
Lewis Burgess
The Governor is determined to close the $9.2 budget deficit and plans to do so without financial gimmicks or borrowing. The goal is to be reached by spending cuts and additional revenue generating items that are deemed taxpayer friendly. So we can ask: Will member items be allocated for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2010-2011 while there is a severe deficit? Will these discretionary funds be withheld and used to help balance the budget or will they be allocated by the Governor and Legislature and spent as usual? NY State will have about $120 to $166 million in cash reserves stored in the Community Project Fund for member items in SFY 2010-2011.
For all intents and purposes, this cash reserve will be distributed this fiscal year to and through Senators and Assemblymembers to selected community and non-profit organizations in their districts.
In SFY 2009-2010, Senators and Assemblymembers granted $148,329,525 in discretionary funds to over 7,000 non-profits. Of that amount, $12,531,338 or 8.4% of the total was administered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The latter amount would be sufficient to keep the OPRHP up and running.
If the Senators and Assemblymembers who voted yea for the Senate and Assembly resolutions to restore the devastating cuts to NYS Parks are serious about keeping 91 parks open for tens of millions of New Yorkers, then 10% of these millions of dollars in discretionary funds can be put to good use in tough economic times by earmarking them for the operating expenses of local NYS Parks.
Working as a delegation and combining discretionary member items, these Senators and Assemblymembers who voted for the “one-house” budget resolutions on March 22nd and March 24th can save the NYS Parks and Riverbank from the devastating cuts proposed by OPRHP. All that is required is to direct monetary grants to the NYS Parks to match their budget resolution votes. This should satisfy the Governor’s fiscal requirements.
MEMBER ITEM DEFINITION
A member item is a budgetary allocation made solely at the discretion of the member of the legislature or the governor for the purpose of providing funding for community projects and organizations. Funds are drawn from various agencies and saved in the Community Projects Fund. The Communist Projects Fund was “created pursuant to law to finance discretionary, usually local projects (“member items”) sponsored by individual legislators and the Governor. The enacted State budget typically includes lump sum appropriations for the Governor, the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly to be designated for various grants, awards and contracts with local governments, not-for-profit organizations and community groups. During the fiscal year, the Governor, and the leadership of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly allocate their respective appropriations to the intended recipient organizations and grant amounts. (Source: State of New York 2010-11 Executive Budget Five-Year Financial Plan, p.158-159.)
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
The one month late state budget is dragging everyone down. Budget news is skimpy. Eyes and minds turn to anti-furlough union rallies, rumor of Cuomo running for election, union and school law suits vs. Paterson and the bomb in Times Square.
Legislators will face a vote on the fifth emergency extender bill Monday or Tuesday that may have a one-day-a-week furlough measure included for 100,000 state workers. If the furlough measure is included, a yea majority vote will furlough 100,000 workers one day a week. If they vote nay in a majority, then state government will shut down (This applies to the Executive Branch agencies including the NYS Parks).
Whatever happens, hopefully, they will get to work in conference committees to reconcile $3.2 billion in spending cuts and revenue plans without the usual opaqueness that surrounds Albany legislative wheeling and dealing.
Pure Fantasy? Perhaps. But there is little time left before NYS runs out of money and becomes insolvent. No fantasy there. Waiting around or getting busy with who is running for Governor or dealing with bills can wait. There is no sense in waiting for the the leadership to get it done. The budget will not pass soon enough doing that. There has to be revolution waged by Senate and Assembly members to get things done. Stand up and pass the budget now or face a miserable near future with all us and with the blame for insolvency coming squarely on the heads of Democrats for not taking the definitive lead with a majority that is on the brink of change and the Rebublicans for being obstructionist in taking advantage of indecisiveness of the Democrats in an election year.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Call – Call Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate majority Leader John L. Sampson and your local legislators to ask what they are doing for Riverbank and how their work is going. Help your family, relatives and friends to make calls to them – Contact info is below for locals electeds – Click here to find your Elected Official if not listed below.
Sign – sign the petition at Riverbank and online – have others do the same
Buy – Buy a “Save Riverbank” t-shirt and wear it – spread the word.
Become a Facebook Fan – http://tinyurl.com/yhmlbb8
VOLUNTEER! – save.riverbank@yahoo.com
GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON
Email/web contact page: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
Mailing Address:
State Capital
Albany, New York 12224
518-474-8390
ASSEMBLYMAN SHELDON SILVER
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Email address:speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&sh=contact
District Office
250 Broadway
Suite 2307
New York, NY 10007
Tel: 212-312-1420
Albany Office
Legislative Office Building 932
Albany, NY 12248
Tel: 518-455-3791
SENATOR JOHN L. SAMPSON
Democratic Conference Leader
Email address: sampson@senate.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/john-l-sampson/contact
District Office:
1222 East 96th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: 718-649-7653
Fax: 718-649-7661
Albany Office:
409 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Tel: 518-455-2788
Fax: 518-426-6806
Contact the state legislators at their NYC and Albany offices listed below. Urge them to reject the proposed cuts to Riverbank and to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming.
Senator Bill Perkins
212 222-7315
518-455-2795
perkins@senate.state.ny.us
Senator Eric Schneiderman
212 544-0173
518-455-2041
schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Senator José Serrano
212 828-5829
518-455-2795
serrano@senate.state.ny.us
Assemblymember “Denny” Farrell
212 568-2828
518-455-5491
farrelh@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell
212 866-3970
518-455-5603
odonned@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Keith Wright
212 866-5809
518-455-4793
WrightK@assembly.state.ny.us
Sample Telephone Script 1:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank contributes to our mental, social and physical well-being as well as the local economy. Please know that Riverbank is a part of my way of life and my family’s and not simply a park that we occasionally visit. That’s why I urge you to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming. Thank you.
Sample Telephone Script 2:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank was built to compensate the surrounding community for the unsightly and (still sometimes) SMELLY sewage treatment plant, which cuts it off from the Hudson for half a mile. The State MUST HONOR this compact; it’s not a favor! Thanks.
ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) – State Parks managed to survive the budget battle, but other agencies are falling victim to Governor Paterson’s veto pen.
Save Riverbank 
NYSR – Is there “pork” in the “pork barrel” for NYS Parks and Riverbank?
May 2, 2010
Lewis Burgess
The Governor is determined to close the $9.2 budget deficit and plans to do so without financial gimmicks or borrowing. The goal is to be reached by spending cuts and additional revenue generating items that are deemed taxpayer friendly. So we can ask: Will member items be allocated for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2010-2011 while there is a severe deficit? Will these discretionary funds be withheld and used to help balance the budget or will they be allocated by the Governor and Legislature and spent as usual? NY State will have about $120 to $166 million in cash reserves stored in the Community Project Fund for member items in SFY 2010-2011.
For all intents and purposes, this cash reserve will be distributed this fiscal year to and through Senators and Assemblymembers to selected community and non-profit organizations in their districts.
In SFY 2009-2010, Senators and Assemblymembers granted $148,329,525 in discretionary funds to over 7,000 non-profits. Of that amount, $12,531,338 or 8.4% of the total was administered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The latter amount would be sufficient to keep the OPRHP up and running.
If the Senators and Assemblymembers who voted yea for the Senate and Assembly resolutions to restore the devastating cuts to NYS Parks are serious about keeping 91 parks open for tens of millions of New Yorkers, then 10% of these millions of dollars in discretionary funds can be put to good use in tough economic times by earmarking them for the operating expenses of local NYS Parks.
Working as a delegation and combining discretionary member items, these Senators and Assemblymembers who voted for the “one-house” budget resolutions on March 22nd and March 24th can save the NYS Parks and Riverbank from the devastating cuts proposed by OPRHP. All that is required is to direct monetary grants to the NYS Parks to match their budget resolution votes. This should satisfy the Governor’s fiscal requirements.
MEMBER ITEM DEFINITION
A member item is a budgetary allocation made solely at the discretion of the member of the legislature or the governor for the purpose of providing funding for community projects and organizations. Funds are drawn from various agencies and saved in the Community Projects Fund. The Communist Projects Fund was “created pursuant to law to finance discretionary, usually local projects (“member items”) sponsored by individual legislators and the Governor. The enacted State budget typically includes lump sum appropriations for the Governor, the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly to be designated for various grants, awards and contracts with local governments, not-for-profit organizations and community groups. During the fiscal year, the Governor, and the leadership of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly allocate their respective appropriations to the intended recipient organizations and grant amounts. (Source: State of New York 2010-11 Executive Budget Five-Year Financial Plan, p.158-159.)
FIND MEMBER ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATORS (searches can be downloaded into Excel and CSV files)
http://www.seethroughny.net/Expenditures/ReportType/tabid/74/Default.aspx
OPEN LEGISLATIVE BILLS TO REFORM MEMBER ITEMS
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?by=k&qs=MEMBER+ITEMS
USEFUL SITES FOR FINDING NYS INFO
SeeThroughNY/
SunlightNY.com
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
The one month late state budget is dragging everyone down. Budget news is skimpy. Eyes and minds turn to anti-furlough union rallies, rumor of Cuomo running for election, union and school law suits vs. Paterson and the bomb in Times Square.
Legislators will face a vote on the fifth emergency extender bill Monday or Tuesday that may have a one-day-a-week furlough measure included for 100,000 state workers. If the furlough measure is included, a yea majority vote will furlough 100,000 workers one day a week. If they vote nay in a majority, then state government will shut down (This applies to the Executive Branch agencies including the NYS Parks).
Whatever happens, hopefully, they will get to work in conference committees to reconcile $3.2 billion in spending cuts and revenue plans without the usual opaqueness that surrounds Albany legislative wheeling and dealing.
Pure Fantasy? Perhaps. But there is little time left before NYS runs out of money and becomes insolvent. No fantasy there. Waiting around or getting busy with who is running for Governor or dealing with bills can wait. There is no sense in waiting for the the leadership to get it done. The budget will not pass soon enough doing that. There has to be revolution waged by Senate and Assembly members to get things done. Stand up and pass the budget now or face a miserable near future with all us and with the blame for insolvency coming squarely on the heads of Democrats for not taking the definitive lead with a majority that is on the brink of change and the Rebublicans for being obstructionist in taking advantage of indecisiveness of the Democrats in an election year.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Call – Call Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate majority Leader John L. Sampson and your local legislators to ask what they are doing for Riverbank and how their work is going. Help your family, relatives and friends to make calls to them – Contact info is below for locals electeds – Click here to find your Elected Official if not listed below.
Sign – sign the petition at Riverbank and online – have others do the same
Buy – Buy a “Save Riverbank” t-shirt and wear it – spread the word.
Become a Facebook Fan – http://tinyurl.com/yhmlbb8
VOLUNTEER! – save.riverbank@yahoo.com
GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON
Email/web contact page: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
Mailing Address:
State Capital
Albany, New York 12224
518-474-8390
ASSEMBLYMAN SHELDON SILVER
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Email address:speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&sh=contact
District Office
250 Broadway
Suite 2307
New York, NY 10007
Tel: 212-312-1420
Albany Office
Legislative Office Building 932
Albany, NY 12248
Tel: 518-455-3791
SENATOR JOHN L. SAMPSON
Democratic Conference Leader
Email address: sampson@senate.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/john-l-sampson/contact
District Office:
1222 East 96th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: 718-649-7653
Fax: 718-649-7661
Albany Office:
409 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Tel: 518-455-2788
Fax: 518-426-6806
Contact the state legislators at their NYC and Albany offices listed below. Urge them to reject the proposed cuts to Riverbank and to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming.
Senator Bill Perkins
212 222-7315
518-455-2795
perkins@senate.state.ny.us
Senator Eric Schneiderman
212 544-0173
518-455-2041
schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Senator José Serrano
212 828-5829
518-455-2795
serrano@senate.state.ny.us
Assemblymember “Denny” Farrell
212 568-2828
518-455-5491
farrelh@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell
212 866-3970
518-455-5603
odonned@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Keith Wright
212 866-5809
518-455-4793
WrightK@assembly.state.ny.us
Sample Telephone Script 1:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank contributes to our mental, social and physical well-being as well as the local economy. Please know that Riverbank is a part of my way of life and my family’s and not simply a park that we occasionally visit. That’s why I urge you to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming. Thank you.
Sample Telephone Script 2:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank was built to compensate the surrounding community for the unsightly and (still sometimes) SMELLY sewage treatment plant, which cuts it off from the Hudson for half a mile. The State MUST HONOR this compact; it’s not a favor! Thanks.